Cycling

In some cities like Cambridge, cycling is huge. I think this is often a form a transportation that Americans tend to forget about using. I live and work in Cambridge and cycle almost everywhere I go. Not only do I not save money on parking, I am getting exercise in my daily routine and it is often faster to get around Cambridge because you have more options to travel and you can zip through traffic. It is very liberating.

I wish that more Americans would cycle, you should see the faces that my friends back home pulled when I told them that we were downsizing to one car and I would walk or cycle to work. I don't think the U.S. is built to enable people to do that but we are saving over a thousand pounds a year this way and I get the exercise benefits and don't pay for parking!

I have recently found a article that says that nearly 70% of Americans' car trips are less than two miles long. If they replace half of those trips (when the weather is nice) with biking they will create a net societal health benefit of "$3.5 billion per year from the increase in air quality and $3.8 billion in savings from smaller health care costs associated with better fitness and fewer mortalities from a decreased rate of car accidents." If that doesn't get your mind rolling, what will? Americans are being impacted by the obesity epidemic and here is a good place to start.

I hope that if you live in a local village such as Mildenhall, Newmarket or Bury St Edmunds that allows you to cycle that you will. If you are like me you are a bit unsure of what you are doing on the road, contact your local council or bikeability and you can take a few courses to get you up and running and negotiating traffic.

You can save money if you cycle around your town and they are also helpful when you are carrying loads of shopping back.

If you are driving around cyclists in places like Cambridge, be a bit more alert. They will often provide hand signals (pointing in the direction they are turning). If you are turning left, make sure you lookout for cyclists before you turn, generally you let them go before you make your turn but it is based on how far ahead you are. If you are abreast, it is best to let them go.

Cyclists are treated both like cars and pedestrians. They are expected to stop at lights and crossings like a car does but are also allowed to mount the pavement (sidewalk) when it is a shared for both cycles and pedestrians. There are also cycle lanes along some roads and generally where cycling is common, there are boxes at traffic lights for them to stop in. You must have a white light on the front of your bike and a red light on the back when riding in the dark so that cars can tell which direction you are going. If you don't use these when it is dark, you will be ticketed. Also cyclists cannot go against traffic on a one lane road unless otherwise posted.

Some cycle paths that are shared by cyclists and pedestrians are not very easy to use or are in poor condition so you may find cyclists still using the road. If it is a bumpy path, you lose all the stuff in your basket!

There are also many cycling routes cross country so if you are into cycling, check them out!